Two more unvaccinated Minnesota children have measles infections, raising the state's total to 20, according to updates over the weekend. 

Fifteen of the 20 cases have been from exposures within the United States, 4 have been imported cases, and 1 case-patient has an unknown exposure. Eighteen of the 20 measles cases in the state have been in children, according to CBS News, and the 2 newly reported cases involve unvaccinated children in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, both in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Department of Health said the children likely contracted measles from an unvaccinated adult.

Last year Minnesota reported 70 measles cases, but zero in 2023.

In Mexico, a large ongoing measles outbreak has now resulted in 22 deaths. The Mexico Ministry of Health reported 4,879 confirmed cases through October 11, with 4,380 of those cases (90%) reported in Chihuahua state.

School nurses' association touts immunizations

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN), in a position statement published in The Journal of School Nursing, reaffirmed the importance of school-age vaccinations.

Immunizations save lives, reduce illness, and keep students healthy, safe, and ready to learn,

"Immunizations save lives, reduce illness, and keep students healthy, safe, and ready to learn," said NASN President Lynn Nelson, MSN, RN, in an NASN press release. "School nurses are trusted leaders in addressing vaccine hesitancy, correcting misinformation, and supporting families to ensure every child has access to the protection vaccines provide."

• Cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in Florida have risen by 81% this year, according to reporting by USA Today. As of September 27, 1,295 pertussis cases had been reported to the Florida Department of Health, compared with 715 in all of 2024, and 63% of the 2025 cases are in children aged 0 to 9. Pediatricians in the state say the increase could represent a combination of waning immunity, gaps in vaccine coverage, and increasing community spread. The increase in pertussis cases is occurring amid a push by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to repeal the state's vaccine requirements. Florida currently requires public school children to have at least four doses of the TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine.
• Health officials in Madrid, Spain, say they have identified the first locally acquired case of clade 1b mpox, the more virulent form of the virus, according to Spanish news site La Vanguardia. The patient is a 49-year-old man who is in home isolation. Clade 1b was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August 2024 because of its rapid spread and greater severity compared with the clade 2 virus, which circulated the globe in 2022. Although clade 1b is primarily causing outbreaks in Central Africa, at least 15 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America have confirmed clade 1b infections.
• The WHO said today that the Maldives has become the first country in the world to achieve "triple elimination" of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis. After achieving elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in 2019, the South Asian archipelago was just validated for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. The WHO said the achievement was the result of building an integrated and comprehensive approach to maternal and child health. "This historic milestone provides hope and inspiration for countries everywhere working towards the same goal," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said in a press release.